LBUSD school board appoints new member

LONG BEACH - The Long Beach Unified Board of Education on Friday appointed community volunteer Diana Craighead as the new representative for District 5.

Craighead, the president of the Parent Teacher Association for Millikan High School, is a longtime PTA leader and has volunteered on several school district committees.

Craighead, a mother of three, said she is looking forward to serving the community as a school board member.

"It's going to be a very difficult job because of the budget situation, but I'm very happy to have the opportunity to serve my community this way," she said. "Advocating on behalf of kids and families is something I've been doing for a very long time."

District 5, which represents portions of Signal Hill and East Long Beach, was vacated in January when board member David Barton resigned suddenly due to health issues.

The board voted to fill the seat by appointment after interpreting language in the city charter that requires the district to hold a special election, but that also allows the board to appoint a new member if there is another election occurring within 120 days of the vacancy. Two other seats on the five-member board are up for election April 10.

The district received a total of 27 applications, which were then narrowed down to the top three by a special committee of support staff employees, representatives of the school district's management association and the Long Beach Council PTA.

The Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) chose not to

participate in the selection process because the teachers union does not agree with the board's decision to forgo a special election in favor of an appointment. TALB on Thursday attempted to file a temporary restraining order to stop the board from appointing a new member, but the request was denied in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The top three candidates - Craighead, Nancy Manriquez-Dowell, a former counselor for the school district, and Maria Williams-Slaughter, a Cal State Long Beach administrator - were interviewed in a public meeting on Tuesday.

The board on Friday voted unanimously to appoint Craighead, who will now serve the remainder of the term until 2014. While all three candidates would have made excellent additions, board members said, Craighead was ultimately chosen because of her longtime community

involvement and knowledge of issues affecting the school district.

Craighead, a District 5 resident for 19 years, has a daughter in tenth grade at Millikan High and two sons who graduated from Wilson High.

Craighead said she joined the PTA in 1993 as a way to help improve education for her children but was soon inspired by the people around her.

"There are so many great people in this school district who have the best interest of our children at heart," she said.

Over the years she's served in several leadership roles on the PTA and has volunteered on several school district committees including the Budget Advisory Committee, Academic and Career Success Initiative Committee, Health Advisory Committee and A through G College Entrance Requirements Committee.

While Craighead is joining the board at time when the district must make tough financial decisions, she says she's committed to helping the board balance its budget while also working to maintain important school programs including music, art and sports.

"We have to have these programs because they keep kids motivated and engaged in school," she said. "The arts, music, drama, sports - they round out the whole educational experience."

Craighead is scheduled to be sworn into office during the next school board meeting at 5 p.m. March 27 at 1515 Hughes Way.